Sewed signature.



No. 794,688. PATENTED JULY 1l, 1905E D. G, SMY'IH.

SEWED SIGNATURE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAE.28,1904. BENBWBD DEU. s. 1.904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATBNTED JULY ll, "1905.

D. G. SMYTH. EWED SIGNATURE.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.28,1904. RENBWED DEO.3,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented July 11, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID G. SMYTH, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

SEWED SIGNATURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,688, dated July 11, 1905.

Continuation of abandoned application Serial No. 126 ,674, filed October l0, 1902. This application filed March 28, 1904. Renewed December 3, 1904. Serial No. 235,300.

1'0 (iw/1 whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, DAVID Gr. SMYTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Stitches for Sewing Together Signatures in Bookbinding, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention in the art of book-sewing relates particularly to the stitch employed in sewing together successive signatures in book-making.

In carrying out my invention the series or form of stitch for sewing together the successive signatures of books consists of a plurality of contiguous substantially parallel threads respectively laid double with end loopsl alternatelyinto, for a predetermined distance along, through, and out of the signatures, with the various loops of the alternating double threads interlooped over the backs of the signatures, the places of entrance of the threads being in line and each thread between the places of entrance into the signatures extending' across the back of intervening signature portions and passing by the places of entrance of the threads into each intervening signature. The parallel threads may all be laid in the same direction. Specifically and where two threads are employed the one enters one signature and the second enters the neXt signature, the first enters the third signature, and the second the fourth signature, and so on progressively. These threads may all be laid in the same or in opposite directions. The plurality of contiguous threads may embrace any number, including two or more, and in all cases the places of entrance of the threads are substantially in line and the threads 'enter the signatures in succession and corresponding sequence, and each extends across the backs of intervening signature portions and past the places of entrance of the threads into each intervening signature. The threads are laid progressively I have discovered that this form of stitch is much stronger and provides a much more rigid sewing between the various signatures of the book than has heretofore been the case with the forms of sewing employed.

In the drawings, Figures 1, 4, 6, 7, 8 are plan views, in large size, showing forms of stitch according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of parts of the sewing devices and their operation. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the back of a group of signatures connected by the formof sewing shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the back of a group of signatures connected by the form of sewing shown in Fig. 1I.

In the patent granted to David M. Smyth, No. 250,991, dated December 13, 1881,I is shown and described the form of stitch which has usually been employed in the art of sewing books. This is called an oif-and-on stitch, because the threads in no two adjacent signatures are in the same portion of the books, lying as they do alternately on one side of a central transverse seam and then on the other. This stitch more nearly resembled hand-sewing and was demanded in the early days of the art, the same being made by two reciprocating needles and an intermediate looper. At the present time, however, books are generally sewed on a machine which employs a single thread to the stitch and the stitching is continuous-that is, the threads in the successive signatures lie in the same portions of the book. This forni of stitch was shown in Letters Patent granted to D. M. Smyth March 16, 1886, No. 338,000, and to J. R. Reynolds February 28, 1888, No. 378,461. My present invention is an improvement upon this latter form of stitch, and therein the threads entering the signatures are all in line and the loops are at the extremity of the stitch interlooped over the backs of the signatures, the threads between the common line of entrance into the signatures and the loops running parallel along through the signatures.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, Fig. 1 shows the simpler form of stitch with two threads t s; Fig. 3, a series of the signatures c of a book sewed together therewith, while in Fig. 2, besides the signatures c, b represents a signature-holding bar, to which in this art a vertical up-and-down movement is imparted with each successive signature to be sewed. CZ represents a looper of any wellknown form and to be operated in any wellknown manner. e represents a needle preferably forming part of the group of devices of the bar 7) and adapted to be moved longitudinally in said bar and to be forced out through the fold of the signature on the bar adjacent to the line of entrance of said threads, so as to engage the next alternate thread t or s and to draw down the same into the signature, conveying the same double for a predetermined distance along and through the signature and then forcing the needle, with the loop of thread, out of the folded back of the signature to be engaged by the loop of thread of the preceding signature, upon but ready to be shed by the looper and in this operation to be looped by the loop of said preceding signature, the loops lying interlooped over the backs of the signatures and the places of entrance of the threads being in line distant from the loops and the threads t and s between the places of entrance into the signature extending across the back of intervening signature portions and passing by the place of entrance of the threads into each intervening' signature. In Figs. l, 2, and 3 the double parts of the threads t and s are parallel in adjacent signatures, but without departing from the condition that the places of entrance of the threads t and s are in line and that the threads extend across the back of the intervening signature portions, passing by the place of entrance of the threads into the intervening signature. The double parts of these threads might diverge or pass in opposite directions in alternate signatures, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in which forms of stitch, however, the various loops of the alternating double threads are interlooped over the backs of the signatures. The difference in mechanism required to perform this operation forms no portion whatsoever of my invention.

In the form of my invention shown in Fig. 6 a plurality of contiguous threads are employed. These threads /L z' between their alined places of entrance into the signatures extend across and over the back of intervening signature portions, the one entering one signature and the second entering the next signature, and so on progressively and in corresponding sequence, the threads being respectively laid substantially parallel and double with end loops alternately into for a predetermined distance along in the same direction, through, and out ofthe signatures, with the various loops interlooped in line over the places of entrance into the signatures in a manner substantially corresponding with the threads in Fig. 6, except that, like the form of stitch shown in Fig. 4, there are two series or rows of loops, or, in other words, a doubleloop stitch. With this form of stitch it will be noticed that the thread It after passing into a signature to the left, leaving a loop, and returning passes over two intervening signatures and into the third signature and to the right; also, that the thread rl follows the same course, while the thread 7s' enters the signature next to that entered by the thread /1/ and passes along to the right, leaving a loop, and returning passes over two intervening signatures and into lthe third signature and away to the left. This movement is progressive and in corresponding sequence throughout.

In the form of my invention shown in Fig. 8 a plurality of four threads Z m n 0 are employed. These threads have alined places of entrance into the signatures. They extend across and over the back of intervening signature portions, the one entering one signature, the second entering the next signature, and so on progressively and in corresponding sequence, the threads being respectively laid substantially parallel and double with end loops alternately into for a predetermined distance along' in the same direction, through, and out of the signatures, with the various loops interlooped in line over the backs of the signatures.

A minimum number of threads is two, and I do not limit myself to the number employed above that; nor do I limit myself to laying the threads through the signatures in the same direction, as Figs. 4 and 7 are suflicient to illustrate that two or a greater number may be laid with double loops or two lines of loops in which all the threads have substantially alined places of entrance into the signatures and come between the lines of loops. In Figs. l, 4, 6, 7, and 8 I have shown by dotted lines the marginal lines of the signatures.

It is to be understood in connection with the forms of stitches shown and described that these in practice are to be drawn up taut, as is customary in this art.

The features of invention embraced in this application are closely related, especially on generic lines, to those shown and described in an application for Letters Patent, filed by me October l0, 1902, Serial No. 126,674, which application has been formally abandoned, the present application being filed as a substitute therefor.

I claim as myinvention l. A series or form of stitches for sewing together the signatures of books, consisting of a plurality of contiguous substantially parallel threads respectively laid double with end loops alternately into for a predetermined distance along through and out of the signatures with the various loops of the alternating IOO IIO

double threads interlooped over the backs of the signatures, the places of entrance of the threads being in line and each thread between the places of entrance into the signatures extending across the back of intervening signature portions and passing by the places of entrance of the threads into each intervening signature.

2. A series or form of stitches for sewing together the signatures of books, consisting of a plurality of contiguous threads laid double and substantially parallel and with end loops alternately into, for a predetermined distance along and in the same direction through and out of the signatures, with the various loops of the alternating double threads interlooped in line over the backs ot' the signatures, the places of entrance of the threads being in line, and each thread between the alined places of entrance into the signatures extending across the back of intervening signature portions, and passing by the places of entrance of the threads into each intervening' signature.

3. A series or form of stitches for sewing together the signatures of books, consisting of two contiguous substantially parallel threads, the one entering one signature and the second entering the next signature, -the first entering the third signature, the second the fourth signature and so on progressively, the threads being' laid double with end loops alternately into for a predetermined distance along through and out of the signatures with the various loops of the alternate double threads intel-looped over the backs of the signatures, the places of entrance of the threads being in line and each thread between the alined places of entrance into the signatures extending across and over the back of the intervening signature, and passingl by the place of entrance of the thread into the intervening signature.

A. A series or form of stitches for sewing together the signatures of books, consisting of two contiguoussubstantially parallel threads, the one entering one signature and the second entering the next signature, the first entering the third signature, the second the fourth signature, and so on progressively, the threads being laid double with end loops alternately into for a predetermined distance along, and in the same direction, through and out ofthe signatures with the various loops of the alternate double threads interlooped over the backs of the signatures, the places of entrance of the threads being in line and each thread between the places of entrance into the signatures extending across and over the back of the intervening signature, and passing bythe place of entrance of the thread into the intervening signature.

5. A series or form of stitches for sewing together the signatures of books, consisting of a plurality of contiguous threads laid substantially parallel, the one entering one signature and the second entering the next signature and so on progressively and in corresponding sequence, the threads being respectively laid double with end loops alternately into, for a predetermined distance, along in the same direction, through and out of the signatures, with the various loops of the alternating double threads interlooped in line over the backs of the signatures, the places of entrance of the threads being in line and each thread between the alined places of entrance into the signatures extending across and over the back of intervening signature portions, and passing hy the places of entrance of the threads into each intervening signature.

6. A series or form of stitches for sewing together the signatures of books, consisting of a plurality of contiguous threads laid substantially7 parallel, the one entering one signature and the second entering the next signature and so on progressively and in corresponding sequence, the threads being respectively laid double with end loops alternately into, Jfor a predetermined distance, along, through and out of the signatures, with loops of the said double threads interlooped in line over the backs of signatures, the places of entrance of the threads being in line, and each thread between the alined places of entrance into the signatures extending across and over the back of intervening signature portions, and passing by the places of entrance of the threads into each intervening signature.

Signed by me this 10th day of March, 1904.

DAVID G. SMYTH.

Witnesses:

JAS. W. GREEN, WM. H. HoNIss. 

